


21st Century Matchmaking

by RoseAmaranth



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Comedy, Cute, Fluff, Getting Together, IronStrange, M/M, Matchmaker Peter Parker, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Stephen Strange, Parent Tony Stark, Peter is a Little Shit, Pre-Relationship, Stephen Strange & Wong Friendship, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 00:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20480204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseAmaranth/pseuds/RoseAmaranth
Summary: Peter sets up his dad and his favorite wizard on Tumblr. Wong and Harley get in on the shenanigans.





	21st Century Matchmaking

**Author's Note:**

> This one has been sitting in my computer WAY too long! This was actually based off a post I saw on Tumblr, but I can't remember who made it or what it exactly said. So if you made that post about IronStrange on Tumblr, thank you!!

Stephen stared at the screen in an attempt to understand what he was looking at, but as it was, he had no clue. Next to him, Peter Parker, who had recently come into his life after a run-in while fighting a common enemy in downtown, was babbling on and gesturing to this and that on the screen, but Stephen had long since tuned him out. He was previously a very successful neurosurgeon, which meant that he went through _medical_ school, and then he trained in the Mystic Arts and became a master in record time. He was well on his way to being Sorcerer Supreme, yet he couldn't understand a simple social media website!

“Do you get it now, Doctor Strange?” Stephen blinked and glanced over to Peter, who was watching him with wide eyes. The kid was so freaking innocent and nice, Stephen had a hard time disappointing or upsetting him. So he lied, nodding and gesturing for Peter to continue in whatever it was he was doing. Peter smiled.

“I took the liberty of making your account a Doctor Strange RP account so people don't know it's actually you. For funsies!” Stephen furrowed his brow. Sometimes he felt like when he had been learning Sanskrit and other ancient languages so he could learn incantations. Like it was a foreign language he had to puzzle through.

“An 'RP account'? _Funsies?_” Peter giggled.

“You're so much like Mister Stark. Anyway, an RP account is where you pretend to be someone else and other people online play people in the same world and you all act like them. Role-playing.” Stephen cringed.

“I believe it is also called LARPing by those Dungeons and Dragons fanatics.” Peter shrugged.

“I guess so. Anyway, I made you a Doctor Strange one so you can be yourself on there, but no one will know because you're just pretending. And you can find the Avenger RP accounts too. Here's a Hawkeye one. Oh! Here's a pretty popular Iron Man one. Let's follow them.” Stephen narrowed his eyes at the screen. Despite how excited Peter was about this, he had no intention of keeping up with it once the kid left. Firstly, he had more important things to do with his time. Like train and meditate. Secondly, he hated having to admit he was clueless about this...website and what Peter was talking about. Stephen was extremely intelligent, he prided himself on that, and being unable to understand what the hell Peter was saying made him snappish and grumpy.

“Now go on and make your first post.” Stephen sighed and sat up. His fingers trembled above the keys but he couldn't think of anything. After what felt like an hour, Peter nudged him.

“Anything you think 'Doctor Strange' would want to say. Maybe a funny picture? A selfie? A meme? Oo! You can share a song you really like!. Here, I'll show you.” Peter tapped something and a bunch of colorful bubbles popped up. They had symbols on them that were pretty easy to decode, and when Peter hovered over one with the cursor, a label revealed what each one was. There was a plain text one, a chat option, pictures, something called 'gifs', videos...it was all so weird and interesting. Peter then opened something on the computer.

“What is that?” Peter rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“It's Apple Music. You can play any song you want on there for only ten dollars a month.” Stephen's brows shot up. Peter scrolled through some songs to show Stephen how it worked, then gestured for him to look. Stephen winced as the little metal rods in his hands ached when he scrolled, but he tried to hide it from the kid. He finally found a song he liked and turned to Peter.

“Now what?” Peter grinned.

“Now we share it! Like this.” Stephen watched as Peter clicked on somethings and tapped post. “There. Shared with your soon-to-be loyal followers!” An alarm beeped, startling the kid into leaping up onto the ceiling. Stephen rolled his eyes.

“That was _your_ watch, Peter. Do you need to go?” He hopped down from the ceiling, cheeks scarlet and rubbing his arms. 

“Yeah. I have to get back and do my homework. Bye, doc!” Stephen showed him to the door, waving as he trotted down the sidewalk. When the kid was out of sight, Stephen shook his head and shut the door.

No way was he using anything he'd just been taught today. He had more important things to do.

Tony smirked at his screen, pleased with what he was seeing. Anyone walking in might believe he must have encountered the perfect deal, or to those who knew him a bit better, he might have been watching something less than appropriate on his laptop. In actuality, he was beaming at the soaring follower count on his new blog. It was something silly to be happy about, especially since he was a billionaire and head of a very successful company. Not to mention a superhero people adored. Idolized. Cared about enough to make fake accounts and fan accounts of on the internet.

It was a bit of an ego boost for him. People _loved_ Iron Man, but a large selection of people on this site had intense 'thirst' for Tony Stark himself. (Peter's words, not Tony's. Though he could understand the meaning after browsing the site for a few hours.) 

He found it especially hilarious how many moving images there were of him, close up shots of his ass in a rather nice suit, or of his smile at a press conference. Some of his more....memorable moments were documented in similar fashion, though his fans found it to be hilarious and charming rather than irresponsible. (In your _face_, Fury!)

Pretending to be himself, without _actually_ being himself was a little odd, especially for him. From day one he was open about his life – even if he didn't necessarily _want_ to be. Everything about him was splashed over tabloids, on websites like the one he was on, and across the news stations. Yet, there he was, posting pretty real information (nothing harmful to his company or privacy, of course. He wasn't stupid.) and pretending he was not Tony Stark slash Iron Man. Even so, people seemed to gravitate to his page. Other role-playing profiles and fans alike.

He was quite happy Peter had shown it to him last week. It was kind of fun.

“Sir, Captain Steve Rogers is requesting a meeting on Floor Alpha. If you have a moment.” He nodded to his assistant and closed his laptop. Steve and his meetings were especially fun to document on his page. He wouldn't necessarily put real information shared there, but anything that was funny or annoying made its way to his blog. Along with a few moving images to show his distaste for those meetings.

(Or, to those following him, _fake_ Tony's distaste. He was supposed to be some kid in a basement or whatever.)

This meeting had involved more than the usual trio of Steve, Bruce, and Tony. Today, Steve had invited the rest of the core Avengers, as well as Sam, Scott and Hope, his kid Peter, Wanda (Tony had to hide a shudder when she met his eyes), Vision, _Loki_, and Doctor Strange. He was the last to arrive, as he usually was _despite_ this being his building, so he waved grandly to everyone and took his seat at the front, across from Bruce. 

“Now that everyone is here, we can finally start.” There was a small cough from behind Tony, and he was sure everyone was staring at him, but he only looked up at Steve, trying to convey in his eyes just how bored he already was. 

The meeting went as expected – boring. Steve was going on about some threat in Japan, how Fury had asked him to gather the Avengers, and maybe some allies, to talk about it and figure out a plan. Tony missed the days where there was a threat and they just handled it, but he knew they needed something like this. They needed checkpoints and order, especially with so many diverse personalities on the team now.

Afterwards, everyone was mulling around talking about their lives away from the compound or the tower and what they wanted for lunch. Tony stretched his arms above his head, smiling as Peter hopped over to him and smiled.

“Hi, Mister Stark!” Tony smiled fondly and ruffled his hair, Peter ducking away from him and looking around.

“Oh, relax, kid. Everyone here knows you're like a son to me.” Peter shuffled his feet and shrugged. Then he was back to smiling and bouncing on his toes.

“I was hoping we would go get some lunch. I'm starved!” Tony chuckled, waving goodbye to Bruce (who was speaking to Natasha) as they turned away. 

“Sure. I hope you're in the mood for cheeseburgers.” Peter held up two thumbs, but before Tony could leave, he stopped him.

“I kind of invited someone. Well, a couple someones. That okay?” Tony rubbed his goatee and furrowed his brows. He could almost always smell someone trying to pull something on him, but he trusted Peter. So he relented.

“Well, I didn't plan on going out, but we can. Who was it?” Peter smiled.

“Ant-man, his daughter, and Doctor Strange. If that's too many, I can just ask them to-” Tony waved off the rest of his sentence, pulling Peter close and ruffling his hair again.

“It's fine, Pete. We can all hang out in the lounge. I'll have stuff sent up.” He really didn't want so many Avengers going out in public all at once. Something none of them talked about was the amount of press every single thing they did received, and he didn't want to be mobbed by cameras or fans. Tony wanted a quiet lunch with friends, though why Peter chose Scott and Strange rather than maybe Thor or Bruce was a little unusual. He wasn't particularly close with either of them, though he felt Scott being invited had to do with his daughter coming. Tony was going to keep an eye on Peter during lunch.

“Great!” They made their way to the lounge area, Peter assuring they would join them after Scott got his daughter from a few floors down, and Strange checked in on Wong at his spooky house. Tony wasn't sure what their guests would want to eat, but he was pretty famished himself, so he ordered a couple burgers for him and Peter while they waited. He also had a spread of snacks - fruits, cheeses, and some crackers - sent up until everyone was there. 

Strange was the first to arrive, though Tony was surprised it was through the door and not from a shimmering portal. He'd first met Strange that way, after all. He figured that was his usual mode of transportation. The sorcerer greeted them with a nod before glancing around the room. Peter bounded over to him, Strange smiling faintly. Tony watched, puzzled, as they interacted. When had they become so close? He watched Peter lead Strange over to the table of snacks, telling him all the different things Tony could order and to just ask for whatever. Strange nodded, bending down to pick up a grape and chewing thoughtfully.

Tony would bet his savings and company that the former doctor did everything thoughtfully.

“Mister Stark, nice to see you again.” Tony blinked, having been so lost in thought he didn't see Strange approach him. When he collected himself, he smiled and winked.

“I know.” Strange rolled his eyes.

“Most people say 'nice to see you too'. How you're able to run a company where you have to actually speak to people in a polite manner is beyond me.” Tony snorted, stepping over to the table and popping an orange slice in his mouth, turning to offer the rind smile to the sorcerer. Strange's mouth didn't even twitch.

“Shows what you know, Doc. I don't actually run this company. Not like that, anyway. I oversee things, but Pepper deals with the stuff I can't stand. Phone calls, business meetings; stuff like that.” He picked up another orange, jerking back when an apple floated by. Freaking voodoo magician.

“Figures. As for lunch, I wouldn't mind a sandwich. Chicken avocado if you have it.” Tony gaped at him. A _sandwich_?? Peter did mention they could get, like, rare dishes from remote countries sent up in twenty minutes flat, right? He could have lobster. Steak. Even some tofu dish for those who chose the vegan lifestyle. 

“Did I hear you right, Strange? A sandwich?” Strange nodded.

“It's what I normally eat for lunch. An apple and a sandwich from my local deli.” Tony shook his head in disbelief.

“You know, doc, there were many things I would guess you to eat. Especially considering you were quite successful from what I read online. Yet, _that_ was definitely not one. I mean, it's even on my tab. You don't have to pay for it.” Strange waved off his concerns, though he finally smiled.

“It's fine.” Tony ordered the sandwich, chuckling when the cook asked him if that was _all_ he wanted.

Scott and his daughter arrived a few minutes after Strange's food arrived. They were loud laughter and comical conversation. And _they_ actually ordered food. Tony wasn't sure if Strange was trying to watch his figure or if he was just really bland when it came to food, but that pitiful chicken and avocado sandwich had him scowling. 

Peter picked at some of the snacks while Cassie munched on her french fries, both of them laughing and chatting about teen things. Scott, Strange, and Tony sat on another couch, sipping on water and chatting about various news in science or medicine. He found himself enjoying their company despite how different the three of them were. 

Eventually, Strange had to leave. Something about magic and training. Tony went to show him the door, but he opened a portal instead and quietly said goodbye. When it closed, Scott turned to Tony and chuckled.

“That guy is something.”

Later on, he was on his blog again, scrolling along and chuckling at some things. People would tag him in other posts from role players, which he joined in on often. A Black Widow account tagged him in a funny fake conversation between Iron Man and Captain America, to which he shot back something a little more accurate to finish the conversation off. He noticed a new Doctor Strange blog pop up in some of the same posts he shared or commented on and snickered. So, Doc had a few fans too? Well, he wasn't all _that_ surprised, though he wondered if Strange did anything really fan worthy.

Nothing like Tony's ass, he was sure.

Interest piqued, he clicked on the blog. Despite the very few posts, the follower count was pretty high. Not high like Tony's, obviously, but a bit surprising all the same. The posts he did find were pretty witty, his use of moving images sparse compared to Tony's. There was a lot of medical mumbo jumbo, a few pictures of him in battles or leaving buildings or eating lunch (and really??) with a snarky caption, and the occasional post about a freaking sandwich.

How well known was his weird obsession with really boring lunch foods?

He snickered again and followed the blog. He scrolled through some more posts, clicking to see if there were any comments. To his surprise, the comments were....well, he wondered if the real Doctor Strange would appreciate such language. He seemed a bit stiff in that regard. Apparently, the 'thirst' for Doctor Stephen Strange was similar to the one for himself. 

He wasn't sure how to take that.

Stephen sat back, sandwich in hand, and stared at the screen. This blog was supposed to be under the radar, a way for him to vet a little and amuse himself when he was stressed out, but it had turned into a gutter with the way people reacted to his posts. While he wasn't oblivious to his looks, he didn't think he could stand against the many good looking faces in Hollywood. Or even on the Avengers team. He shook his head, wishing he could use the memory wiping spell on himself after what he just read.

Why people said such things about people they didn't even know....

Stephen finished his sandwich and opened up a new post. Thanks to Peter, he had finally learned how to do it on his own. The meeting from a few days ago popped in his mind, so he opened the chat type and set to work.

** _Avengers Meetings # 3_ **

**_Captain America:_** _We're still waiting on one last person._  
**_Widow:_** _Let me guess – Stark's trying to be fashionably late to his own meeting?_  
**_Captain America:_** _If he knows another way to enter these meetings, he's never shown it._  
**_Hulk:_** _That's Tony for you._  
_[Iron Man makes his entrance. Fashionably late as he wanted]_

No one had to know that this is _exactly_ what happened at that meeting. The Avengers griped about Tony's late attendance habits and Tony arrived smiling broadly and charming everyone in the room into letting it go. It was sickening how much he could probably get away with thanks to his charisma. 

After that, he went back to reading his books and working through a new spell. 

Months flew by in a flurry of missions and worrying over Peter and Harley, sprinkled with time spent posting on his blog and interacting with his new favorite profile. Peter showed him how to tag the blog in comments and in his own posts, which were often returned with a witty remark or two. 

Soon, the Iron Man blog and the Doctor Strange blog were constantly back-and-forth with each other, much to the delight of people on the site. In fact, they seemed a little over-invested, but Tony didn't care because they had no idea it was really Tony Stark -genius, billionaire, previously playboy, philanthropist – behind it. He did wish the actual Doctor Strange was as interesting and funny as this blog. Tony might like him a lot more than the stoic stick-in-the-mud that often showed up to meetings.

Then again, perhaps it was the setting and not the man himself that was the problem. Other than Tony and Steve, no one else offered much commentary during said meetings. Tony with his quips to throw Rogers off, and Steve deftly ignoring him and reminding everyone to check in often. To call the team when something happened.

He didn't expect it, but interacting with this blog probably run by some obsessed teenager had him wanting to see what the real Doctor Stephen Strange was like. Away from the magic and machines and meetings.

Peter suggested a lunch. One that wasn't about business or required an Iron Man suit to attend. Tony liked the idea enough to fly over to the house Strange lived in and nearly fall face-first on the floor as the wizard teleported him in.

“Stark. May I help you?” Tony steadied himself and brushed off his suit before retracting it back into the housing unit.

“Right. Hi there, Stranger. So, I realized sitting in front of my computer I don't really know these new Avengers all that well. After the first Avengers mission, we all had lunch and got to know each other. So, I figured, that seems like a great way to get to know these new supers. You in?” Strange blinked at him for a few seconds before exchanging looks with the other wizard he stayed with. What, like, a wizard nanny? Was that a thing?

“Who all will be attending? Should I prepare a presentation?” Tony shook his head.

“No. No business of any kind. And actually it will be just us this time. I found the others to be busy.” Oddly enough, he found himself lying to the suspicious wizard about the luncheon. See, he actually did want to do the lunch with all the new supers, but for this one and maybe the next, he wanted to get to know Strange; _just_ the doctor wizard.

“Right... Well, are you asking right now? I'm not busy.” Excitement fizzled in his blood. Things couldn't be more perfect. 

“If you're able. So long as we don't go to that deli. Anything but sandwiches.” Strange actually snickered and opened a portal to a Chinese restaurant with a raised eyebrow. Tony shook his head.

“What about one of those little vegan salad shops? No sandwiches.” Well, it didn't sound horrible. And his suits were getting a bit snug from all the pizza nights and ice cream with Peter and Harley.

“Lead the way, Dumbledore.” That earned him a slap on the back of the head, which he scowled at. 

[Wong watched all this with an amused smirk and an idea forming. Where was that little Spider Kid?]

Stephen ditched the cloak and his robes since Tony demanded it be a casual, non-super lunch to get to know each other. For some reason, Stephen had the hunch that Tony wasn't being totally forthcoming, but he could see why the iron man would want to check out the newest members of the team. 

Besides, it was nice to hit the rather expensive vegan shop on a Stark tab.

“So, aside from magic and avenging, what does a former renowned surgeon do?” Stephen fiddled with his Chopped Tofu Mango Pecan Salad. Tony led a rather exciting life, in the armor and otherwise, but Stephen was someone who cherished quiet and peace whenever he could find it. He preferred reading by the fireplace to a night out with friends. 

Probably explained why he never really had any who weren't in his profession. Well, that, and the fact he was often too busy researching new techniques to bother with going out. 

“Nothing really. I read. I meditate. I've taken up yoga and I occasionally train at a place called Kamar-Taj.” Tony, to his surprise, nodded along as if this was the most fascinating and exciting information he ever received.

“Honestly, that sounds like heaven. Course, I can't really keep still long enough for meditation, nor do I have the patience to do yoga, but it still sounds amazing. Peace is something you should hold onto when you've got it.” Well damn. He of all people somehow understood. Stephen speared the lettuce and gestured to Tony.

“Well, it's not a tower full of Avengers, but it's something.” The man laughed and bit into his Tofu Chicken Avocado wrap, making an absolute mess but not seeming to mind. Anyone could walk up and take his picture looking like that, but he was only watching Stephen with curious brown eyes. Probably wondering, as most people did these days, what his life was like before he became the Sorcerer Supreme. 

“So, Stranger Things, you eat these chicken sandwiches on the reg, right? But then you come to a vegan place? I'm getting mixed signals here.” Well, not what he was expecting at all. 

“Oh, I am not really vegan. Well, not anymore. It's complicated.” 

“Ah. Well, it's good all the same. I never knew this place existed.” Stephen finished off his salad with a satisfied sigh and swallowed down some water. 

“I love it, but it's more of a treat than a regular lunch. I usually just pick up some deli food for Wong and myself. Sorcerers don't always have all this time to sit and chat, you know?” Tony was finished with his food too and narrowed his eyes when the waiter set the bill in front of Stephen instead of Tony.

“Um, people do know I'm a billionaire, right? As if I'm letting anyone buy me food, let alone a new friend I invited to lunch. Give it here.” Normally, Stephen's pride would never stand for that, but considering he knew just how high-end this place was, he was perfectly fine handing it over to Stark, who didn't even look at the price before sliding his card in the checkbook and standing it on the edge of the table.

An idea or two popped in mind to post on his blog.

“Well, that was quite satisfying. Thanks, Merlin.” Stephen nodded and finished off his water.

“Thank you for the lunch, Stark.” A smile, warm and definitely not made of sunshine. Get a grip, Stephen.

“Please, it's Tony.”

Later, he opened up the now-familiar website and searched for his favorite Tony Stark slash Iron Man blog, surprised to find a new post with a picture someone clearly took of them at lunch. As he expected, it was the moment Tony stuffed his face with the wrap and had avocado and dressing in his facial hair. The caption, _Could they have waited at least ten seconds for me to wipe my mouth! At least they got Stranger's good side._, had him shaking his head with a chuckle. He tapped the reply button and considered his words for a minute. It seemed to amused whoever ran the blog when he was able to snap back something snarky.

“So, lunch went well?” He jerked in his seat and quickly wiped the smile off his lips. One he hadn't even realized was there. Wong wasn't looking at him any particular way, so it was hard to judge if he was pleased or criticizing him. Maybe he just didn't care. Stephen had trouble reading Wong.

“Um, mostly. Went to that vegan place.” There. A sparkle that was gone in a blink. 

“And naturally, Mister Stark paid, correct? Sounds like a splendid little _date_. Are you going to be doing that regularly?” Stephen spluttered at Wong's words and stood from his computer, reply long forgotten.

“Don't think I haven't noticed you spend an awfully large amount of time playing around with that computer of yours. I've seen you've become a rather big Iron Man fan.” A blush fanned over his cheeks, but he refused to look away.

“I didn't know you were on the site, Wong. Seems a bit below you, doesn't it?” Wong snorted and sat on the chaise lounge in Stephen's office.

“I would have said the same about you, but then the Spider kid came and changed that. I never expected this fascination with Iron Man, though. By the way, I run a Captain America blog, in case you want to follow me.” Stephen scrunched his nose up and crossed his arms.

“You're joking?” Nope. Wong was definitely serious.

“You didn't think I would make a fanpage about _you_, did you?” Stephen snorted, sitting back in his chair and typing out his reply, letting it lean just a bit into flirty because he could and it was harmless fun with someone he didn't know. It wasn't like Tony himself would see it, or know that it was Stephen.

“I expected an 'anti-Doctor Strange' account, to be honest with you. Never saw you as a Captain America fan.” Wong chuckled and typed something on his phone. A notification pinged on Stephen's laptop. He glared at Wong.

“Get out of my comments, Wong.” Another popped through and he shot a flutter of butterflies at his friend.

“Stop flirting and I will. Behave yourself, Strange.” 

Tony enjoyed exactly three lunches with Stephen before it finally hit him they were almost kinda sorta dating. And really, it didn't hit him so much as it was Peter literally joking about it at breakfast the morning of the third lunch. Huh. How could he not have realized? Probably because he made sure it was all friendly public places and it wasn't like any other dates he had with people. 

Peter was also the one to point out that Tony was spending far more time on the Doctor Strange blog than any other, but he argued it was because the account was run by someone fascinating and intelligent enough to understand Tony's jokes and references. Stephen himself did that and much more, firing back quips that had Tony fighting to contain his laughter and excitement. 

Okay, so maybe he should have realized far before now that he had a crush. Well, actually, two. He never thought he would be someone to develop some feelings for someone he never met, but he couldn't brush off the flirty yet still witty comments the blog shot back. The only thing bothering him about the blog was he wasn't quite sure how old this person was. How weird would it be if they were in their twenties or thirties? 

So, he decided to message them one night, tapping his fingers on the table as he awaited their response. It was a general message about becoming pals or something, just to open the door. The person took a few minutes before they returned with a smiley and thumbs up, followed by a message apologizing and saying that was their idiot friend. No matter, it opened the door anyway.

_@theetstarkblog: well... that's ok. I just realized we talk all the time and only know our rps. I'm Howie._

_@drnotmrstrange: I would say I'm surprised to find a guy running a Stark RP, but I'm actually not. I go by Vic._

_@theetstarkblog: wow! Finally we have names! You seem like a smart guy, Vic. Much smarter than kids these days. Unless all those quips and medical posts are written by your dad....?_

_@drnotmrstrange: Nope. All mine. I may be a bit old to be playing around on here, but my kid showed it to me and I always found Dr. Strange to be the most interesting Avenger._

_@theetstarkblog: No way! My kid did the same lol. He's a bright one but I don't know how good it was for him to bring me on here. May or may not have showed up late to work because I was fucking around on here..._  
_@theetstarkblog: oh, and IM is TOPS! But I guess the doc is cool too._

They went on like that for most of the night, Tony forgoing tinkering to trade jokes and stories with this mysterious 'Vic', who thankfully was at least old enough to have a kid on Tumblr. When FRIDAY alerted him that it was nearly seven in the morning, he closed down the site and rubbed his eyes. 

Maybe he had a bit of a problem.

Stephen rubbed his eyes and ignored the frown Wong was surely wearing after stumbling upon him still at his computer well into the morning. He was so caught up with Howie, the _man_ behind the Iron Man blog, he didn't realize the sun was creeping over the horizon until Wong barged in with tea and a sandwich for breakfast. They had classes at Kamar-Taj and an Avengers meeting to attend, not to mention Stephen's personal training and meditations. It was going to be long, but he didn't really regret it all that much. Not when he had a new friend.

“Stephen, other than this person's name, which could also be fake, what do you really know about him?” Stephen sipped at his third cup of tea that morning, freshly showered and shaved. The cloak fluttered in the sunshine pouring in the window, seemingly pleased with the warmth. It had Stephen smiling.

“Not that it really matters, but he apparently works in a successful company where he conducts research into energy-saving technology and alternative energy sources. He says he has two kids in high school, and we both agree that Captain America is the least cool Avenger.” Wong snorted and cut into his waffle, syrup magically pouring over it as he did so. Stephen picked at his breakfast sandwich, not really hungry but not wanting to be rude.

“Right. And what did you lie to him about? If it's even a him. Let's not forget you haven't met this person. They could be some cougar looking to prey on young people on the internet. You need to be careful, Stephen.” Of course he knew that; he wasn't stupid. But it didn't matter anyway. Wong seemed to have the wrong idea about this whole situation. Stephen was merely happy to find a new person to talk to, even if it was in the role-playing world of a social media website. It was more fun than he thought, and it helped him relax after tense sessions with the Elders. Wong should mind his own business.

“I more or less gave my old profession and pretended to have a kid of my own. Peter was the one who showed me the site after all.” Wong studied him for a moment.

“Right. Well, what about Stark? Surely after three lunches it constitutes as dating?” Stephen nearly dropped his tea and cursed as the hot drink burned his mouth. Dating _Stark_?! As if. 

“Nope. Not at all. He's just eager to get to know the people he works with. Maybe trying to show off his money or power by constantly treating everyone to these lunches. He's definitely not interested in dating someone like me.” There was sympathy on Wong's face, something which surprised Stephen. 

“Maybe you would be less excited by this faceless person on the internet if you opened your eyes and realized these casual lunches _could_ become actual dates. With someone you actually know. Someone whom you've perhaps come to care about?” Stephen fiddled with the empty cup and bit his lip. It was a nice dream, but he was better off not bothering. After all, his last relationship blew up in spectacular fashion right in his face. 

And he wasn't even a sorcerer at the time.

“I never thought you would be so supportive of me possibly dating one of the more powerful and influential yet idiotic men in the world. Aren't we supposed to keep eyes off of me as much as possible?” Wong finished his breakfast and rolled his eyes.

“I think that went out the window when you helped the Avengers, joined their team, and then attended really public lunches with said Tony Stark. You do realize you're all over that site? There are blogs aside from your own who seem to care a great deal about Stephen Strange the wizard. And about this...friendship...between the new Avenger and Tony Stark.” He reached out and covered Stephen's wrist with his hand.

“I think you deserve happiness, Stephen. The Sorcerer Supreme is often a lonely office, but you don't have to follow that. There are many sorcerers who find love and have families. Though usually not with someone quite like Mister Stark.” Stephen shrugged and called to the cloak.

“We better get on with our responsibilities.”

[Wong shot a message to Peter Parker, Tony's teen son and apparent matchmaker. It was time to wrap this little plan up.]

“Do I really need to go? I mean, it seems kind of silly to show up to an event celebrating me and my friends pretending I'm not who they are celebrating.” Peter straightened the shoddily made 'armor' Tony was wearing and grinned. 

“You told Vic you would finally meet in person, and you are going to follow through. Besides, the crowd will get a kick out of having Tony Stark appear. Maybe they'll have you do a speech.” The gathering of super fans in one place to discuss Tony and his friends was in New York, and he had stupidly allowed Peter to talk him into mentioning it to Vic, who excitedly asked if he was going to be there.

Which, he was.

He decided that, as cool as Vic seemed to be, he was rather smitten by Stephen at this point and therefore sought only to surprise whoever was on the other side of the screen by showing up and doing a big reveal. Then he would probably hop off the website and focus back on important things. The guy, as much as he was a Doctor Strange fan (and boy, Tony could admit he was becoming one himself), also seemed to like Iron Man and Tony Stark. 

That didn't mean he wasn't rethinking the entire thing. He was definitely going to get mobbed once people found out he was there. He had considered inviting Stephen along, just in case he needed an escape, but Peter offered to come along instead and Tony just let it go. 

Happy snickered when he stepped off the elevator, which only had Tony grinning and throwing up the middle finger. Pepper too was laughing and shaking her head.

“Is this really necessary. It looks like a child made this, Tony.” Peter beamed.

“One did, Miss Potts!” She glanced at Peter before covering her mouth and watching Tony.

“Have fun, then. Let me know how it goes.”

They arrived at the stadium in a plain car, Peter nearly vibrating as they drew closer. Happy cursed under his breath as people dressed up as Cap and Hulk sprinted in front of the car. Tony rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants, once again rethinking this whole outing.

“Should I have Stephen come? I know you're here, Pete, but you can't open portals into the tower and get me out of here if it gets bad.” Too late. Happy was shouting at kids to move out of the way and they were parked. Peter sprang out, dressed like Cap as well and shouting to someone in the distance. Tony struggled with the door thanks to his stupid fake armor, finally kicking it open and stepping out into the sunshine. The place was surprisingly busy with people dressed up as Avengers, a few even sporting Ant-Man and Falcon costumes. 

Scott and Sam would be pleased.

“Okay, how am I supposed to find him in this mess? Pete, you said this would be fun, but all I feel is anxious. I think I might have a panic attack.” The teen was at his side in a second and sliding a real iron Man helmet on his head. That definitely helped, the noise blocked out and allowing him to breathe and collect himself. FRIDAY assured him everything was going to be fine. 

“Okay. Let's do this.”

Stephen glared at his reflection and then at Harley and Wong behind him. Wong was definitely hiding a smile behind his book, but Harley was only examining him while rubbing his chin.

“This is stupid. I feel stupid.” Harley stepped forward and fixed the sash that was tied around his waist. He didn't remember actually agreeing to go to the meeting of superhero fans in costumes, but Harley was on his doorstep and Wong was eagerly helping with dressing him up as 'Doctor Strange'. But not exactly the robe-wearing version he normally was. 

According to some fan blogs, many heroes had 'alternative costumes', kind of like in combat video games, and the one Stephen was wearing was a popular one found on many different blogs. It was a red and black ensemble that would be incredibly hot and unpleasant if the event was hosted outside. A plain black tunic was tucked into loose black pants, paired with a black and red long coat and a red sash tied around his waist. He also wore clunky black boots not too different from the ones he normally wore. Rather than the yellow gloves he owned, Harley and Peter had red ones made in Tony's workshop to go with his outfit. His cloak then clasped itself to his shoulders and flapped excitedly, getting into the spirit of things despite Stephen's dour mood.

“You look great, Doc. Maybe you should wear this on the field a time or two.” He pulled at the restrictive coat and frowned. Definitely not happening, but maybe a party hosted by the Avengers. Because, with another look in the mirror, he could admit he looked good. He still preferred his robes and wraps, but it wasn't bad on him.

“Okay, we better go. We don't want to keep our buddy waiting.” Stephen suddenly realized he had no idea how they were going to find his new friend. Or if it was such a good idea to show up dressed like he was, looking like he did, to a poor guy who was clearly a nerd about them. What if the dude fainted or something? What if they were mobbed?

At least he had his portals.

“Good luck, Strange. Get a picture with your pal for me. Hope she's as creepy and wrinkled as I imagine.” Stephen rolled his shoulders and cut his eyes to Wong.

“I'll be sure to get her number for you, Wong.”

He opened the portal and blinked at the scene. The grounds were crawling with kids, teens, and adults of nearly every age dressed as various members of their super team. Even some lady in a wheelchair was sporting some Black Widow costume, while two boys who were probably her grandkids battled each other as some villain and Spider-Man. 

“Ready when you are, doc!” Harley was dressed as Clint Barton because, as he put it 'Clint was the coolest looking.' Stephen stepped through and closed it before anyone could notice. Not that they wouldn't recognize him if they happened to look close enough. He and Harley joined the mulling bodies, Stephen noticing that a lot of them were young and quite a few were girls. Guys dressed as Captain Steve Rogers and Tony Stark seemed to be hitting on a few girls dressed as Carol Danvers and T'Challa.

Well, that was weird to think about.

Harley seemed to know where to go, so Stephen followed along behind him, not meeting anyone's eye if he could help it. 

“Whoa! Your costume is amazing, sir!” He paused and glanced down at a couple of children dressed as Iron Man and Thor. He smiled.

“Why thank you, Iron Man. Thor.” The children giggled and asked to take a picture with him. Stephen never saw this in his future when he became the Sorcerer Supreme, but he didn't really mind it. Not when the girl dressed as Thor clung to him and smiled up at her mother while the boy dressed as Iron Man stared up at him with wide blue eyes. He complimented their costumes again and wished them safety in battles before hurrying after Harley, who only watched with an amused tilt to his mouth.

“Shut up.”

“What? That was cute!” 

“I don't do _cute_.” Harley snorted and pointed to a horribly dressed Iron Man and a Captain America. 

“I think that would be Howie and friend.” He turned to study Harley's face. How did he know...

“Trust me, doc. Come on.” As they approached the pair, the Iron Man stumbled back and nearly fell on the ground. The Captain America scurried to help his...friend? Dad? Stephen smothered a chuckle and stopped a few feet away. 

“I don't really know how to ask this without sounding weird, but are you Howie?” The Iron Man nodded slowly and tilted their head. Well, this was going so well. People were taking pictures of them, and it was making Stephen more uncomfortable than he already was. Especially with the sun beating down on him in that black outfit. He should have covered his face, far too recognizable even in a costume, but too little too late.

“I sense you are a little surprised. Yes, I am Doctor Stephen Strange. 'Doctor Strange' in the superhero circle.” The man hesitated, even though the boy at his side was nudging him. This was exactly what he feared would happen. Hopefully, it wouldn't get out that his blog was in fact run by the real Doctor Strange before he could have it shut down.

“Reveal yourself, Iron Man!” Stephen went to excuse Harley's rude outburst, but then the man was nodding and removing the cardboard Iron Man helmet. Stephen's heart jumped into his throat at the familiar smile and disbelieving brown eyes.

“_Tony_?!” The kid next to him unmasked as well, revealing himself to be Peter Parker. Okay, what the hell.

“Surprise! I totally set you guys up. Well, I never really thought it would turn into you both attending a Superhero Convention, but still.” Tony crossed his arms over the horrible costume and glared at Peter.

“You did this on _purpose_?” Peter scratched his neck and nodded, though Stephen noticed he was avoiding Tony's eyes.

“Um, yeah. You guys are, like, my favorite people and I wanted you to be friends. And when I noticed people kind of shipped you guys, I had this brilliant idea to kind of set you up through social media. I only hoped it would end up with you guys flirting with each other and going on dates, but then when it happened I was so excited! Mister Wong kind of helped too. And Harley, of course.” Tony pinched his nose and shook his head.

“Okay, then. This has officially been a weird day.” Stephen bit his lip to keep himself from laughing as Tony met his eyes and smiled. How could he take the guy seriously dressed like that?

“Tony, what are you even wearing? How can you have a Ph.D. in engineering and then make something like that?” Peter was yanked into Tony's arms, smashing the costume and surprising the teen.

“I'll have you know my _son_ made this! It means more to me than any iron suit I've ever made.” People now gathered around them, cameras directed on them and whispering. Stephen raised his hands and addressed the crowd.

“The show is over. Go on and continue your celebrations. Enjoy the day.” Then he opened a portal and dragged Tony, Peter, and Harley away from the wide eyes and flashing camera phones. He couldn't wait to see those pictures on the internet tomorrow.

Tony still couldn't quite believe it. Even sitting there in his living room, watching Stephen poke around his kitchen (dressed like some sexy ass wizard for sure) with Peter and Harley playing video games on the floor, he found it hard to digest his friend on Tumblr was Stephen Strange himself. It just didn't feel real, like maybe he imagined it, but then Stephen was setting floating cups on the coffee table and sitting on the couch adjacent to the one Tony was on, blue eyes sparkling in amusement as he watched the boys fight.

It felt like a dream, and if it was, please never wake him up. Because it was a really nice one.

Something flickered to the front of his mind and had him turning to glare at Peter.

“Hold on. If you knew I was going to run into Doctor Hot Stuff here, why did you let me go wearing that costume? I saw a little girl with a better costume than mine!” Peter paused the game and tossed him a grin. Harley shook his head and his shoulders shook like he was laughing.

“I thought Harley and I agreed on dressing you both in stupid outfits, but then I guess he changed his mind.” Harley snorted and gestured to Stephen.

“Like I could have made him look stupid to dad! Besides, there aren't many ways to make wizards look dumb.” Peter rolled his eyes.

“Right, so instead let's dress him up in a costume that somehow makes him look better than the blue robes. That makes sense!” Harley stood and glared down at Peter.

“You said make him look different than he usually did. I did my part. Don't be mad because dad's going to kill you for embarrassing him in front of doc.” Stephen finally stood and broke them up, Tony following his movements like he couldn't take his eyes off. Which, really, he couldn't. He was definitely going to speak to Stephen about making that particular outfit part of his normal superhero costume. Maybe impractical, maybe not secret-cult kind of clothes, but it had Tony hot under the collar.

Maybe that was a terrible idea for going on missions, but Tony didn't care.

“I hope those boys have learned a thing or two about meddling.” Shaking off his thoughts, he found Stephen blowing on his tea and trying to keep the cup from tumbling out of his trembling hands. Tony instinctively reached out and steadied them. Stephen met his eyes, flicking between Tony's like he was searching for something.

“So....”

“Right. Um, this is kind of awkward. At least for me.” Tony chuckled and removed his hands after Stephen was able to take a sip or two. It clinked against the table but didn't break or spill. 

“I can't say their plan failed. We did become friends because of that stupid website.” Stephen sat back and smiled.

“It wasn't because of my sparkling personality in those meetings? I'm hurt.” They shared a laugh before Tony was drinking his coffee. Sweet and soothing. 

“Well, that certainly helped. Really, though, I admit I wanted to get to know you because of those posts on your blog. I mean, they made you sound so interesting and like someone I might like to know, and I had this insatiable curiosity to know whether or not the actual Doctor Strange would measure up.” Stephen's brows raised but he only seemed amused.

“Did he?” A blush freckled Tony's cheeks and he found himself wanting to look away. He didn't, instead examining those intelligent blue eyes and letting himself wonder. So many questions filled his mind, but he brushed them off and winked.

“_Surpassed_ them. One of the more interesting people I've ever met.” Stephen wrinkled his nose, the adorable expression coupled with his hot outfit doing nothing beneficial for his heart. Not that he minded.

“Really? The tea-drinking, magic-wielding, yoga instructing guy who reads a lot and enjoys boring food is the most interesting person you've ever met? I doubt that.” Well, that wasn't much of a fair assessment, but then again Tony didn't always look so highly on his own interests. 

“To a guy who has nearly died too many times to count? It sounds like everything I ever could hope to have one day. Especially the yoga. Is there hot yoga?” Stephen rolled his eyes.

“You're an odd man, Stark.” 

“An odd man you were kind of dating, Strange.” That finally broke the man's cool facade, a dark blush bleeding over his pale skin. Tony didn't bother to hide the smirk.

“I don't really think what we were doing could be considered _dating_, Stark. Especially that time Scott tagged along.” He kind of figured Stephen might not want to see it that way; that he might brush it off as two guys having lunch. Over. And over. And over. Tony might have found himself backtracking self-consciously, but he knew Stephen at least found him attractive and the blush he wore on his skin was like a sign saying _I agree but I don't want to admit it._

Tony could work with that.

“So, you don't call two guys who have this insane chemistry bonding over lunches and kind of flirting with each other on Tumblr sort of dating? As for Scott, I was trying to make you feel more comfortable. I didn't want you to feel awkward or whatever being just one-on-one with me three times in a row.” He glanced out the windows, the view of New York nearly as beautiful as the man before him. Just nearly. 

"We didn't know we were semi-flirting to each other on Tumblr. It hardly counts."

“I think it was that second 'date' that did it in for me.” He nearly bit his tongue after the admission. Tony wasn't normally one to show his cards so early, but he wanted Stephen to know he was actually into this. Even if the wizard wasn't totally there yet (which was a fear whispering in his ear, but he was certain Stephen felt the same), putting it out there would hopefully wedge the door open for something more.

“Oh. Um. Wow. This is all so weird. I don't think I could have ever seen my life going this way. Ever.” He did not let himself feel hurt. He did not let himself react to Stephen's crinkled brows and searching eyes. Nope. It was fine. He still had their friendship. It was _fine_.

Apparently he did a horrible job of keeping his face expressionless because Stephen was blinking and correcting himself. 

“I didn't say it was _bad_, Tony. This is all just really unexpected. Think about it. Your teen sons playing matchmaker with me; with us? _Wong_ going along with them? By using a social media platform that I could hardly understand? And to top it all off, they were matching me with Tony _Stark_? I mean, you have to admit it's kind of crazy.” It was, actually. But he was happy it happened. Sure, he would have probably gotten around to falling for Stephen Strange at some point because their natural chemistry was just so powerful, but Peter and Harley (and Wong, the bastard) saved them both a lot of time. And with their professions, time wasn't something they could really waste a lot of. 

“So, you agree we were kind of dating?” The wizard cleared his throat and glanced away.

“I still don't really see it, but I would be willing to start calling them dates now. So long as you want to.” As if Tony wouldn't want to date the pants off that man. Gosh, he was so excited.

“Good. Glad we're straight. Now, about this costume of yours...” Stephen stopped smiling and tugged at the snug coat.

“I don't know where Harley found any of this or how this is supposed to be practical to fight in as a sorcerer. I much prefer my robes.” He was crestfallen for only a second before an idea hit him.

“Okay, but you'll totally bring it out for a costume party, right? Or, like, a party where everyone comes in their superhero clothes? Because I can have either arranged. Any time I want.” Another wave of surprise on Stephen's face.

“You actually _like_ this, don't you? Are my robes really that ugly?” He didn't seem upset or anything, but Tony hurried to correct him anyway.

“Of course not. I think it's more like you're just unbearably hot and like Harley said, really difficult to make look bad. Or stupid. And that getup? Wow.” Stephen snorted and shook his head like he couldn't really believe it.

“You're telling me you didn't see all the comments people made about your stupid pretty face or your _galaxy eyes_?” 

“I- I did, but I didn't think much of it. I know I'm not hideous or anything. I just mean, compared to Thor, Steve, or you, I'm kind of...I don't know. I don't compare, I guess. I can admit that. Especially compared to Thor.” Something like jealousy spiked in his blood, but he shoved it down in favor of reaching up to gently cup Stephen's face. He flinched at the contact, but before Tony could pull away, he had his hands on Tony's wrists and kept his hands in place.

“I don't know about _Thor_, but in my personal opinion you could easily beat me and Cap in the looks department. Especially with those cheekbones. And certainly in that outfit. I'm serious about you wearing it more. I think you've got something going on here. Maybe it could one day replace the robes.” Stephen kicked his leg gently and bit his lip as a smile fought to spread.

“I'll certainly put it in the suggestion box at Kamar-Taj.” Tony beamed, even if Stephen was being sarcastic because, well, he was determined to at least get him to wear it more around the tower and compound.

**Author's Note:**

> *EDIT: I forgot to add that the costume Stephen wears to the Superhero Convention is his Marvel Defenders gear. It is my second favorite after his MCU costume. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! xx


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